541

The Jensen 541 – which was unveiled at the 1953 motor show – was very much designed with the future of the company in mind.

It was assumed from the start that the engine would be from Austin, and that the Austin A70 parts would be used for the suspension. The sporting handling, meanwhile, would require a low chassis.

The 541’s body was designed by Eric Neale – with a helping hand from Richard Jensen – and boasted distinctive features like the cars mouth shape and flowing body. But there was one more thing that set the car apart – the fact it was made from the new material glass fibre.

Aside from the door skins – which remained in aluminium with a steel frame – the bodywork for most of the cars were glass fibre. The rear windows and rear side windows were made from Perspex.